Haryana organises felicitation ceremony for Olympic medal winners
Panchkula: Haryana is developing as a sports hub as 32 players from various parts of the state reached in Tokyo Olympics 2020 this time and brought back laurels with them.
To facilitate and motivate the players, more than Rs 23 crores were distributed at a state level function held here on Friday.
Along with the amount players had been offered job letters as well as plot on half the price in any part of the state.
Addressing the gathering at the function as the Chief Guest, Haryana Governor, Bandaru Dattatreya said that the excellent performance showcased by the players of Haryana in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has not only given the state and country many reasons to smile with heads held high in pride but has also once again proved Haryana's mettle on the global map.
"Despite having only two percent of the country's population, about 25 percent participation is from Haryana in the Olympic Games, which is a matter of pride. Not only this, among the seven medal winners from different states this time, Haryana accounts for four that is three individual medals and two in hockey. I urge the youth of the State to opt for any sports along with their studies," he mentioned.
"I am proud that Haryana is the first state in the country to give maximum cash prizes to the medal winners. The Sports Policy of Haryana is not only praised in the country but also across the world. Haryana has set an example for other states and for this I congratulate Chief Minister, Manohar Lal," Governor affirmed.
He said that participating in these world-class competitions is a great achievement in itself. Entire Haryana is proud that this time in the Olympics out of 127 players, 30 were from Haryana.
"I feel really proud that these sons and daughters of Haryana who have lived up to the expectations of the people of the country and state have won 4 out of a total 7 medals as the eyes of the entire country were on these 32 players as the entire nation and state had already seen their calibre and excellent performance in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international sports competitions," he added.
Praising Neeraj Chopra, who gave India its National Anthem moment by winning India's first gold medal in track and field games, Governor said that he has created golden history by winning gold medal. His success story would keep on inspiring young and budding players for years. "Similarly, wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia have raised India's flag by winning silver and bronze, respectively. Two Haryana players Surender Kumar and Sumit Kumar have also made the state and the country proud by winning bronze in hockey. It is because of the hard work of these players only India has been ranked 48th in the world by winning seven medals this time. This is our splendid performance of 121 years," the Governor said.
Bandaru Dattatreya said that 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign launched by Prime Minister Narender Modi from Haryana has certainly left a positive impact in the State as this time out of the 11 players in Indian Hockey team that represented India in Olympics, nine belonged to Haryana.
Lauding the efforts of the Women's Hockey Team, he said, "The skill and stamina with which you fought in the semi-final match has been appreciated not only in India but also in other countries of the world."
The Governor stated that it is because of the hard work and dedication of these players because of which Haryana has once again made a mark on the sports map of the world. Haryana is of course a small state in terms of population and area, but our achievements in the field of sports are unmatched, he added. "A provision has been made to give cash prizes at par with normal sportspersons to Paralympics medal winners and Para sportspersons who have participated in Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and National sports competitions," he asserted.
